Chapter Adventure Reading Challenges (Formerly GXO) discussion

APRIL - I Like Big Books

“Read a book over 400 pages long or listen to an audiobook over 14 hrs long."

Comment below with the name of the book you read this month and what you thought of it.

Lightlark is like 404 pages and I'm close to finishing it. I've been enjoying it, but haven't picked it up since the plot twist... It threw me for a loop and I've been recovering xD Edit: I finished it! It was awesome. Totally recommend if you like YA fantasy :)

Anyway, I also finally finished The Beauty of Darkness which was a relief. It had that final-book-in-the-series, High-fantasy, everyone is at war and there's lots of politics, vibe that I really hate, but it was nice to see how it ended.

Also not doing this challenge in order and it's nice

I read The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond. 414 pages. It was an interesting read, overall I liked it but the ending was subpar lol I do think it could make a good thriller movie!

I read The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery. This is what I label as light and fluffy, nothing overly stressful or something to guess who did it. I like that it dealt with a real-life issue, alcoholism and the effects on a family, how family sticks together and of course people finding the perfect mate (so not my reality lol). I have read 1 other book by her and enjoyed it so she's an author I'll keep reading.

Icebreaker was 432 pages total and 200 pages too long 😭 lol. I really was expecting more for all the hype. Too much sex, not enough substance is how I’ll summarise it.

I'm going to listen to Sunflower Sisters, it's 18 hours on audio. It is the 3rd book by Martha Hall Kelly, who also wrote Lilac Girls and Lost Roses.

I listened to A Curse So Dark and Lonely. It was a great listen especially toward the end the total listening time was 15hrs.

I listened to A Curse So Dark and Lonely. It was a great listen especially toward the end the total listening time was 15hrs.

I read The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (416 pages). I give it a 4.5 star rating.

I read The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series for the "I Like Big Books" monthly challenge. I kind of wondered if it would be lots of photos to pad out the 400+ pages, but I was surprised that it was not just tons of photos. There were photos, but there was a lot of information packed into this book. I guess to provide a definitive background of a television show that was on for twelve seasons it's a lot of text! :) I loved the show and love this book - it was so fun to hear from everyone involved about their experience of the show. I learned all kinds of things - like Bob Newhart won his first and only Emmy for the series (WHAT?!) For any fans of the show, I'd highly recommend this book.

• Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone - Diana Gabaldon
- Outlander #9
- Historical Fiction/SciFi/Romance
- Finished: April 18th.
- 5 stars on Goodreads. ❗️*SPOILERS* ❗️

‼️*FOR REAL….SPOILERS*‼️

Holy hell. Well, in typical Gabaldon fashion, this book was full of a whole lot of nothing going on, sprinkled with bits of somewhat important things going on, then a flurry of heart-pounding action at the end. And while I was fairly confident that Gabaldon wouldn’t have the gall to kill off Jamie, she was doing such an obvious job of making readers *think* Jamie was about to die, that I was convinced SOMEone was going to - possibly young Ian or Roger. I felt like a wrung out wet rag by the time that action sequence finally ended, but I was so relieved that all our (yes, OUR, dammit) loved ones made it out alive. Now I’m just hoping the poor Lord John isn’t held prisoner on that ship for the next 9 years…..

Challenge Complete: APRIL- I Like Big Books
“Read a book over 400 pages long or listen to an audiobook over 14 hrs long.”
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig (780 pages)

A truly amazing end-of-the-world novel. One I’d put up there with Stephen King’s The Stand, Robert McCammon’s Swan Song, and Jack McDevitt’s Eternity Road.

With the same catalyst as The Last of Us, (though published before the series premiered,) Wanderers lives up to its name. A fungal plague is spreading fast, and no one is safe. Except, perhaps for those you have inexplicably began a journey while seeming asleep. We follow those who are sleepwalking across the country but, more so, those who have made it their mission to protect them while everything falls apart around them.

I especially liked how we get to see the collapse of civilization from several people’s perspective. There are, of course, the sleepwalkers and their protectors. But there’s also a rock star who’s looking for a new way into the spotlight; an ex-cop, whose brain injury seems to connect her to the flock, and a preacher taken in by the twisted logic of an extreme right militia leader.

It’s a story which grabbed me from the beginning and never let go.

Threadneedle by Cari Thomas
576 pages

I enjoyed the book, but I felt it took too long to get to anything substantial. However, the ending leaves me wanting to read the next book.

Kimberly wrote: "APRIL - I Like Big Books

“Read a book over 400 pages long or listen to an audiobook over 14 hrs long."

Comment below with the name of the book you read this month and what you thought of it."

I read The Group by Mary McCarthy 487 pages. I remember reading it when it first came out in 1963.

I'm halfway through A Thousand Hearts by Kiera Cass. I loved The Selection series, so I picked this one up. So far it's been odd? Like she's trying to do all the usual tropes (Dark hair broody/haunted love interest. Mary Sue-esc princess.), but it just feels off. Maybe that's a good thing because she's doing it differently but I'm not sure yet. It feels more like she's trying to write like everyone else and she shouldn't (which isn't a bad thing).

We'll see though! I'm only halfway through, I have a feeling it will redeem itself yet.

I read the Rose Code by Kate Quinn.

It didn't feel like 656 pages as the pacing was quite good.

I managed to finish Tipping the Velvet just before midnight. I've read (and loved) several other Sarah Waters books but this is the first of hers I added to my tbr years ago! I'm glad to have finally read it.

I read 608 pages 4 1/2 stars

For April, I read, Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton. I read both the Print version and the Kindle version. I own both, so I read the book when I was home, and the kindle when I was out. lol The Print version is 439 pages long. It was a really quick, easy read, and really good too! Sometimes you need a book that pulls you in and keeps going. I would sit down to read for a few minutes, and next thing you know, I'd read 50 pages easy. The story line was good too. It is about an up and coming musician just starting out and gets her big break. She's also running from her past. I highly recommend.

I also read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, and very much enjoyed it. This author is an expert in blending history with the drama, painting characters with a depth that makes them real.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finally - challenge complete! We moved last month and it has definitely had an effect on my reading. This book was absolutely incredible - the King fan and the animal lover in me were both over the moon. Definitely worth the lengthy read :-)

The longest book read in April was The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter was almost 19hrs in audiobook. It is a police detective suspense thriller, entertaining in keeping you in suspense. I gave it 4 stars.

Catching up on posting - Challenge Complete!
I read The Killing Floor by Lee Child which is 474 pages long (Paperback) and 17+ hours of audio (which is the format I used). I had seen the tv series on Prime video, and not sure why but I also wanted to read the book. It was pretty good - different from my normal fare, but I enjoyed it.

Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

Catching up on my posts.
Challenge Complete!
Read The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America by Karen Abbott. It was 432 pages, though, if I recall correctly, probably the 32 pages at the end were bibliography. It was interesting and not a part of history I knew anything about.

Tianna wrote: "Icebreaker was 432 pages total and 200 pages too long 😭 lol. I really was expecting more for all the hype. Too much sex, not enough substance is how I’ll summarise it."

OMG! I totally agree!! Wondered what the hype was all about.

Magnolia Parks